Rockets win sans a star like Harden
It was Eric Gordon’s court. Armoni Brooks’ hardwood. Garrison Mathews’ basket. A loud and powerful 114-104 victory that belonged to Christian Wood, Josh Christopher and coach Stephen Silas.
The Rockets — still winning, now without big young names Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. — didn’t need James Harden on a night when they smoothly took down the best team in the Eastern Conference.
The Rockets, again, were strong and resilient enough just by being the new Rockets.
It’s seven consecutive victories for Houston’s rebuilding NBA team, after 15 straight defeats. The latest win was the most convincing, even on a night when Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant was given a rest day and the centerpieces of the Rockets’ rebuild weren’t in uniform.
A true team-wide effort. Offense and defense for four quarters. Throw in Harden shooting just 4-of-16 from the floor and the home team entering the fourth quarter with a 17-point lead and Toyota Center belonged to Harden’s old team on Wednesday.
“The spirit of our group is high,” Silas said. “We’re in a good spot right now.”
Harden’s return was at the heart of Rockets-nets, but, technically, it was old news. The second-best player in Rockets history originally returned post-trade to Houston on March 3, while his former team was just beginning to tear everything down and Rockets fans were still adjusting to the idea of No. 13 wearing that famous/infamous number for another team.
“A lot of mixed emotions from the fans, but I knew that was going to happen,” Harden said last season after a Brooklyn win. “I just wanted to come out here and give them a show.”
The same back-and-forth mixture followed Harden on Wednesday night. He was lightly booed the first time he touched the ball. He was loudly cheered during a timeout as a Jumbotron video saluted his past Rockets work, then he walked onto the court and formed his hands into the shape of a heart while cheers kept echoing. He was immediately booed when he stepped to the free-throw line after the tribute, then cheered when the first shot missed.
Harden easily was the best player on the hardwood in the early minutes Wednesday. But the much-improved Rockets continued to impress during the first quarter, taking a 20-16 advantage and following the lead of Gordon, who started 5-of-6 with 12 points.
The Rockets’ surge reached 44-27 with eight minutes left in the second quarter. On a night when Dana Holgorsen’s 11-2 University of Houston football team was honored at midcourt and well-known faces sat courtside, the young and inexperienced Rockets — playing without their two biggest young names — kept the attention focused on the local team in red.
When the lead hit 49-29, Houston’s NBA arena buzzed. For Kenyon Martin Jr., Alperen Sengun, D.J. Augustin, Mathews and Christopher.
“Our fight has been really good in this stretch,” Silas said. “When you go through adverse times and you fail, it’s good to have some where you kind of fight through and you build on that and that’s what we’re doing.”
After starting 1-15 — and losing 15 consecutive games — it was understandable if you were reluctant to believe in the 82-game competitiveness of a Rockets team that theoretically is years away from being a serious Western Conference finals contender. Factor in that three of the Rockets’ recent wins were against Oklahoma City and Orlando and facing the Eastleading Nets was a legitimate test for Silas’ team, even with big names on both sides inactive.
The Rockets dominated the first half and entered the break with a 67-52 lead, shooting 56.1 percent from the floor and 40.9 percent on 3-pointers. Brooklyn’s No. 13 limping toward the bench and spending extended time speaking with a referee captured the Nets’ uneven first half.
Martin’s flying dunk highlighted the third quarter, bringing Toyota Center to full roar.
Gordon was ejected, and the Rockets kept fighting and dunking. When the arena proudly chanted “MVP! MVP!” in Mathews’, not Harden’s, honor, it was over.
“The energy in the building was great,” Silas said.
These Rockets are just 8-16. But they’re winning and winning, and now seven intriguing victories away from that surreal 1-16 start.
The young Rockets also turned Harden into an afterthought on the night that old No. 13 returned to Houston again.